Kushina blinked curiously and glanced down a nearby hallway. "I believe so, he's usually home" She said softly, shrugging her shoulders passively. "Normally he's working, trying to figure things out and make sure everyone's safe." She said, glancing over to her and smiling as she shut the door behind them.

"Would you like to meet him?" She asked, smiling down to her and tilting her head to the side a bit. "We could go and say hi, get him to look into your school stuff, we could let him know about the bullying going on, he'd want to hear about that stuff for sure"

Chika blushed darkly as she followed after Kushina. She seemed to visibly change as she shuddered and looked down to the side. She was hiding now, with her body language. She was nervous, afraid of saying something that might offend - or cause problems. "Oh no! It's alright... it's my problem... I should handle it." Chika said as she stepped towards the living room. She stopped dead as a pair of legs came into her vision.

"Hello love." Minato said as he kissed Kushina's cheek gently. "Who is this?" He asked as he crouched down, recognizing her picture suddenly, from the stack of academy students he was looking through. "Oh! You must be Kururugi Chika." he said cheerfully as he smiled at her. "Are you alright? Your face is all red." He teased lightly as he reached out towards the child.

Chika squeaked, literally squeaked, then hid behind Kushina's leg. Clutching the woman's clothing and burying her face against Kushina's leg. She was hiding, and shaking just a little, absolutely nervous from meeting the Hokage. Especially since he knew her name.

"I just met her" Kushina said before jumping a bit in surprise as she heard the squeal. When the girl hid behind her leg and clutched at her clothing, Kushina glanced back at him and tilted her head curiously. "Hey, no reason to be nervous or anything" She said, frowning a bit and leaning back to gently stroke the girls hair.

Glancing to Minato, she sighed softly and tilted her head a little. "We were actually hoping to have you look in to some things about her schooling" She said before turning and crouching down in front of Chika. "It's okay Chika, why not explain to him what you told me?" She asked, knowing that just the fact that her tests were all top notch and that she'd been held back for so many years would be odd to Minato.

Minato smiled at his wife, and the young girl hiding behind her. Chika looked as if she could be Kushina's daughter. He had never noticed that about the Kururugi's, because they were usually not out and about in public. They probably really were a cousin clan to the Uzumaki's. But the little girl, looked like Kushina, and it made him soften as he sat down on the ground, putting himself at the child's level. "Please, Chika-chan, tell me... what is bothering you. I am the Hokage, and I listen to everything about my people's needs."

Chika buried her face against Kushina, shaking like a leaf in the presence of such a man. She slowly pushed herself away from the woman who had been so kind, and closed her eyes. It seemed like another shift of personality overcame her as she drew in a deep breath. Slowly she turned to face the man and her eyes opened. She stared at him, like an equal would. She was truly a young girl of strength and perseverance. "I have been trying to become a Genin since I entered the Academy. My parents put me in, as soon as I could walk and form seals." She said in a shaking voice. "I have been denied three times, but it is not because of my age."

Minato watched her for a moment, a serious look overcoming his face. He knew she had taken the test three times, and been denied three times. The notations was that her clan had specifically requested that it wait - because of her age. But he knew something was suspicious about that, because the Kururugi's had prodigy's before, and they had never restricted them from graduation. "Why do you think they are restricting you?" He asked lightly.

"I am the cursed Kururugi, they think I'll follow the same path as Hotaru." She said in a shaking voice.

Hotaru, that name was familiar to Minato. "Was that the woman who was in love with Madara?" He asked the young girl calmly. There was stories, about the bloody aftermath of Madara's death. He watched the young girl who only looked to the side and nodded. The girl was hiding against his wife. He looked up at his wife, a sad look in his eyes. "So you think they are keeping you from advancing, why?"

"They hate me. They call me a freak... and a monster." She said firmly.

"She's an amazing girl"Kushina said once they finished talking. "I see a lot of myself in her" She added, glancing down to Chika and resting a hand on top of her head. "I was hoping, you could pull strings and let her graduate" She said before taking a deep breath. "And I'd like her to be on my team" She finished as she looked back up to him.

Although it would technically be her first time doing something like this, she knew that a lot of the older people in the village would treat her the same way her family did. She didn't want that, and since Kushina had experience dealing with difficult things that were inside of you that weren't your choice, she felt like she would be able to provide the best help for the child. She needed to be able to control every aspect of it, yes, but she also needed how to deal with everything mentally, how to cope and hang on to the light.

Minato watched the little girl, and his wife. Chewing on his lower lip for a few moments. Then he stood up and started to pace. Asking something like this, meant he had to be the hokage at home, for that moment. He turned towards the girl and his wife - and then got a stern look. "I need her to prove to me that she is ready." he said calmly. He knew his wife might be upset that the sweet and warm man was gone, but if he was going to do his job as a hokage - he needed to do this. He might not even be able to put Chika on Kushina's team, unfortunately. This girl needed a mentor, yes, but she also needed a teacher that could control her. He was afraid that Kushina might be too gentle with the girl.

Chika stepped forward at that, her eyes closing. She undid the wraps on her arms, showing the mark of a Kururugi blood user. Calmly she let the bandages fall, feeling like she was proving herself to her Family Elders. She let her mind wrap around that, as she began forming signs, using the family Kekkei genkai to form a variety of weapons, before she looked for a good target. She threw the Kunai, at a support beam. The kunai formed of her bloodline, kept their form. The first one landed with a thunk, and then the second slammed through the first. The first one faded away, as it returned to her body - and each of the five after that followed the same pattern. Till she recalled all five.

"Good chakra control, good use of manipulation... Let me see your handsigns and your seals." Minato said as he paced, watching the young woman. "Form a clone." He stated as he pushed out his hand. There was a snapping sound in the air, as an exact copy of the girl was there. "I don't see why they have failed her. Even at her young age, she can be a Genin... She could wait till she was a young adult, before becoming Chuunin - unless the village needed to advance her quicker." he said calmly as he slowly smiled, crouching down again. "You did good, Chika-chan."

Chika looked shocked for a moment, and released all of the chakra she had been using. Slowly she began to rewrap her arms. That's when she looked up at Kushina, a blush on the young girls cheeks.

"Kushina, we can talk about teams more later. For now... I think this little one needs some support." He said with a soft chuckle.

Kushina was a bit surprised as he mentioned her needing to prove herself, but she figured it was something that had to be done. He needed to be sure of what he was doing. She gazed down at the young girl as she unwrapped her bandages and began to show her skills. Kushina couldn't help but admit it was amazing and surprising how well the girl was doing. As she finished up and began to put her bandages back on, she couldn't help but smile and feel rather proud.

Kushina glanced up at him and smiled softly, nodding her head. "Sounds good. Well... We ate already, sorry about not bringing any home for you. It sort of slipped my mind with all the talking" She said softly, scratching the back of her head as she glanced down to Chika. "If you're not in a rush to get home, you could always keep my company while I make this guy dinner" She said, pointing to Minato and smirking over to him. "If he cooked something himself, it would probably burn."

Chika bowed politely to the man and the woman, the two had brought her into their home. She could be nothing but polite. She cleared her throat, and then slowly straightened her back. "If you like, as a thank you... and an apology for invading your home... I could cook?" She said as she looked up at Kushina, a small smile on her face. "I'm rather good at a few dishes... if you have ingredients, I'm sure I could find something to make. Unless you wish to cook for your husband, and then I'll help in whatever way you ask." She said as politely as possible. But she just wanted to do something good - for this woman who had done so much for so little compensation.

"Oh! Two beautiful ladies cooking for me? What more could I ask for." Minato said as he gently kissed his wife on the cheek. Then he turned, doing something unexpected. He picked the small child up under her arms, spun her around and pulled her against his chest. "Sometimes... we all need a little love. I see how lonely you are, and as your hokage I can't let that happen." he said softly in her ear, stroking his fingers across her bright red hair. Then a flash of conversation he had with Kushina, and one of his own dreams flashed through his mind. He had imagined them with a red haired little girl, and a blond haired little boy. A child of both of their worlds. This little girl, though not blood related... could very well become very important to him and his wife.

Kushina glanced down curiously as Chika mentioned helping with the cooking. "I wouldn't mind a hand if you want, but you shouldn't feel obliged to. I invited you over, so you're a guest" She said softly before watching Minato pick the girl up and spin her around. Chuckling softly, she hugged her arms around herself and watched the two, unable to help but smile.. He would be such a good father, she could see it from how much he cared for everyone.

Making her way over, she chuckled and took Chika from him. "Hey, I found her first" She teased, sticking her tongue out at him before setting the child down and taking her hand. "Come on, let's go make some dinner then" She said softly as she showed her the way to the kitchen, pointing out different rooms as they went until the stepped into the room they had set out for. "So, what do you want to make? You said you were good at a few dishes, so let's go with one of those"

Chika was confused as she was yanked away from the hokage, by his wife. She had never had an adult hold her like this, not in her memories... She looked dazed and confused as Kushina set her down and started to walk her towards the kitchen. Chika followed in a slightly dazed stupor, as the Hokage returned to working on some paperwork at the dinner table. "Kushina-sama..." Chika said lightly as she looked behind her, confusion on her face. "Why did he do that?" She asked as she looked up at the older and wiser woman.

She was a little preoccupied, but quickly regained her mind. "Ummm yes! Well I'm good at dumplings! really good... and I'm good at making soup stock... and good soups... I'm also good at making noodles from scratch?" She said as she tried to remember all she could do.

Hearing the small girls voice, Kushina glanced down at her, smiling softly at her question. "Why?" She asked, tilting her head "Well, he answered that for you. He can see that you struggle to be happy, that you're lonely and he just wanted to show you that you're loved. Your Hokage cares deeply about everyone in this village, he just wants to help you feel better" She explained before hearing her go through what she was good with in terms of cooking.

She thought it over a moment, tapping a finger to her lips "Okay, well let's go with dumplings and soup then, and I'll cut up some vegetables to go on the side too. You have free range of the kitchen, grab anything you need, and if we need to run out to get something, we can" She said, smiling to the girl before starting to prepare everything they'd need.

The young girl seemed to transform the moment responsibility was on her shoulders. Though she had her mind running a mile a minute, there was multiple things happening in that young mind. She was confused, not really used to that sort of attention. But she was majorly focused on the task at hand. Her eyes narrowed as she started to gather ingredients. She unabashedly used her chakra to grab a few items, since she hadn't been able to get to her training. She moved into a flurry of action, making dough and getting stuffing ready. She got a pot of soup stock going on the stove. She seemed to become a completely different creature, when she had responsibility.

Kushina watched her set off to work and she smiled. She seemed rather focused on her work, really serious and mature. Through the process, Kushina would help where she could, but focused on making little side dishes like the vegetables and fruits, setting them in a few bowls. After a while, dinner was ready and Kushina helped Chika get everything on plates before they brought the food out to the dinning table. "Okay, work away" She said as she walked up behind Minato and kissed the top of his head. "Dinner" She added as she went to sit down and motioned for Chika to join them.

Chika finally finished what she was working on, she put dishes in the sink to be washed later. She smiled ever so softly as she washed her hands and looked towards Kushina. The woman was gathering the dishes and carrying them out to the Hokage. Chika was nervous at first, but realized that she had made everything perfect. At least as perfect as she could with the ingredients she had present. Which that being said... the ingredients weren't all that bad at all. Chika followed Kushina and waited to hear what the Hokage had to say.

Minato smiled up at his wife, looking up from his newspaper. "Oh? Dinner cooked by two beautiful ladies?" he said as he reached back to kiss his wife on the cheek lightly, his hand reached back as well to ruffle Chika's hair. He picked up his chopsticks and took a bite, smiling brightly. "These dumplings are good. Kushina here!" he said cheerfully as he picked one up and held it out for his wife.

Kushina smiled softly and sat down, motioning for Chika to do the same if she wanted. Glancing over to him, she opened her mouth and took the offered dumpling. "Mmm, Chika, this is fantastic" She said, glancing over to him and tilting her head to the side a bit. "You're quite the little cook aren't you?" she complimented happily.

Kushina divided the food as evenly as possible among the three of them. "Eat up, and later tonight I'll help to bring you home and make sure you get back safely" She said, smiling as she began to slowly eat her food.

Chika just stared at them for a few moments, nervousness overcoming her. "I don't... need to... I was just going to do the dishes." She said in a weak voice, that was until Minato reached over and scooped her up, sitting her on the end of the table and patting her leg. "What was that for?" She said, confusion on her face as she squirmed nervously.

"So whats this about taking you home later? When it's safer?" Minato asked as he paused between bites of food. He watched the child on his table, wondering what sort of life she had. He had read the legends about the way the Kururugi acted. He knew some of their rituals and training regimens. "Which level of training are you on? Three?" He asked lighlty.

"Seven..." The young woman said softly, watching the shock on the hokage's face. So he knew about their family training? Based on years of life, and skill - a shinobi in her clan was trained a certain way. "I have a strict regimen usually. Three meals a day, usually I cook them... I get five hours of sleep, unless I am on a deprivation training schedule - to prepare me for the eventuality of being in the field..." She admitted as she moved the food around in it's bowl.

"Yet their scared of you, they make you into a weapon and are scared of the weapon they make. I wish I could interfere in what the clans do... but that's part or our laws... the Hokage has no say in Clan decisions..."

Kushina wasn't as aware of the training levels they were talking about, but she could get the general idea by their conversations. "She's not just a weapon Minato, she's a young girl. I offered to take her home tonight so that her parents knew that she wasn't just lazing around and ignoring her training" She said as she took a few more bites of her food.

She couldn't help but think about what he said though. He couldn't get in the way of clan decisions, but if he could, Chika's life could be so much better. Kushina found herself wishing that she could do something, that she could get her out of that household for good.

"She's a child, not a weapon. I can't do anything about how they treat her... but we can lessen it. If you need extra help around the house, ask for her. They can't deny your request." Minato said as he started to eat again. He was lost in his thoughts, and he didn't know exactly how to tell his wife that he had already considered a team for her - if he decided to push for her acceptance. Could the village handle having another Prodigy? His own Student Kakashi was already a Prodigy...

"I'll be fine... weapon or not... They can't control me my whole life. My parents love me the best they can, that much I understand. It's the rest of my clan that doesn't understand me. But karma has strange ways... most of the deaths of teams in the field... are Kururugi's... we have a high fatality rate... and being at war... it is even more likely that by the time I am an adult... all of the Kururugi's will be gone." Chika said as she began to eat slowly.

Kushina glanced over as Chika spoke and frowned slightly, unable to believe such a child would have thoughts like that. Children were meant to have the best lives that they could, not worrying about the war and whether or not their family would live to see them through life. "Now now, no need to think about that Chika. You just focus on doing everything to the best of your ability, live your life the way you want, do what will make you happy in the long run"

Glancing from the girl to the food in her bowl, she bit her lip slightly and slowly began to eat again. Soon enough, she finished her meal and pushed her bowl back before resting her hands in her lap.

Minato knew that the little girl had training eerily similar to what he had heard the First Hokage had. There was a way to train children, that prepared them for the dangers in the world. He had heard of children raised in such a way, a way that would prepare them to be adults much sooner than they should. He ate his food, listening to his wife for a moment. They would have to talk about this on their own, later. He was a bit worried about what could happen with this child. Without the right guidance, she could become nothing but a tool for the village. No one belonged being a tool. "You're going to graduate this time, that much I can tell you." He said with a small smile.

Chika's whole mood seemed to change when she heard that. Graduation meant she was a Genin, meant that she was an 'adult' in a small sense of the word. It meant she could really start training and having missions and freedoms. She could earn money, and she could start working on a life for herself. "Really? Thank you Hokage-sama!" She said with a small blush on her cheeks.

Kushina smiled softly, glad that Minato seemed to have the resolve to make things fair for the young child. Normally, her being so young would have been a big factor in holding her back, but she'd proven quite well that she could handle herself just as much as any Genin could. Delighted by the girls response, she looked over to Minato and smiled a bit, giving him an expression that would say 'thank you'.

"Don't let anyone hold you back for anything you can't change. You can't change who you were born to, how you were born, what you were at birth... but you can change the kind of Shinobi you become. Don't becomee just the monster they are all calling you. You are not a monster, you are an extremely talented little girl. I should introduce you to Hatake Kakashi sometime, he's a few years older... and my student... but he is just as skillful as you." Minato said as he looked over at his wife, he winked at her playfully, letting her knew he understood her thanks completely.

Chika seemed to be morphing into a normal little girl around them. There was still that haunting other personality, that look deep in her eyes. There was that odd look, that knowledge that she could only be like this with these people. "If my parents realize that I spent time here, I won't get in trouble for not training..." She said as she wiggled a little. "They'd want me to gain connections, and the Elders have said that WHEN they let me go onwards... they wanted to push me towards ANBU as quickly as possible... " She said in a low voice.

"I think you should avoid ANBU till you are closer to your twenties..." Minato said softly. "ANBU changes people, and you need a chance to see if life will show you more kindness."

Kushina nodded her head slowly and smiled over to the girl. "No need to rush. If you don't want to be ANBU, don't work yourself hard for what they want. If you do, take your time. ANBU is rough, it's hard and dangerous. Just take one step at a time, I'll help you wherever I can" She said, smiling softly and putting her elbows up to her table, her head resting in her hands.

"We're going to be here for you, so if you ever have any questions or you just need a break, an escape, you can come here" Kushina added before getting to her feet and starting to gather the plates to bring to the kitchen.

"My family will approve of this, because it's definitely a status boost..." Chika said with a ghosting of a weak smile on her face. "I don't care about that, I ... like being around nice people like you." She admitted finally as she looked down. She gathered the dishes on the table and hopped down, since everyone seemed to be done eating. She walked back to the kitchen and worked on washing the dishes.

Minato looked at his wife, with the child gone as of the moment. "She's got a lot of promise, I'd like to get in touch with Lady Tsunade... Kururgi's have great propensities towards the medical field... and with her level of talent... she'd be amazing as an apprentice of Tsunade." Minato pointed out gently. He didnt' know the chances of getting the gambler back in town, but it might work.

"That's true, it sounds like a good idea. We should ask to see if she's interested in it though" Kushina added as she got to her feet and stretched her arms into the air. "I don't want to turn out to be like her family, forcing ideas on her. I'll speak with her and see what she thinks" She added as she moved to the kitchen. She instantly went to help with the dishes.

"Minato believes you have the potential to become a great medical ninja" She said, glancing over to the child and smiling softly. "We were wondering what you thought about that? If you were interested, we have someone who could help you, mentor you"